Protective Ice Hockey Sock

ABSTRACT

A protective article of clothing for preventing lacerations and blunt force injuries to a lower leg of an ice hockey player. The protective article of clothing comprises a sock element and a protective barrier element integrated within the sock element for protecting a back of the lower leg. The protective barrier element combines a cut resistant portion and an impact absorbing portion to protect from multiple types of injuries that commonly occur to hockey players.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/726,709 filed Dec. 26, 2012 (now published as (US 2013/0160176-A1) which claimed priority from Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/580,451 filed Dec. 27, 2011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains generally to a protective sock for skaters, and more particularly to a protective sock for simultaneously protecting a back of a lower leg of an ice hockey player from blunt force, penetrating and abrading injuries.

BACKGROUND

Shin guards used by ice hockey players serve as the primary protective equipment for protecting a player's lower leg from injury. However, traditional shin guards only cover the front and sides of the leg leaving the calf exposed and vulnerable to lacerations from skate blades and hockey stick blades. The Achilles heel and the calf muscle area of the back of the leg are especially vulnerable to injury despite the protection afforded by the shin guards. A laceration or blunt force impact to these areas may cause permanent and debilitating injuries to leg muscles, nerves, ligaments, and tendons. Such injuries often endanger the player's ability to play hockey again, especially on a professional level thereby depriving the player from a livelihood.

An increase in the frequency of multiple types of injuries to the back of modern hockey player's legs has demonstrated that existing protective hockey equipment is insufficient to protect the calf muscles and Achilles tendons of players. As hockey continues to evolve, the speed of play has increased creating new risks and threats for participants. Checking is a strategy where a player uses his body to strike an opponent to separate the opponent from the puck. The player attempts to force the opponent against the boards or down to the ice. Checking methodologies have changed as the game continues to evolve and has become more violent and dangerous. While pined against the boards and battling for the puck, players are now taught to intertwine their legs with the opponent's legs so that they cannot move. While intertwining their legs, the back of the legs becomes increasingly vulnerable to a cut or slashing injury from the razor-like sharp skate blades. The back of the legs are similarly vulnerable to impact injuries caused by being struck by another player, a stick, or a puck.

Consequently, there is a need for a protective article of clothing that provides protection to the back of the lower legs of an ice hockey player that are not protected by existing protective hockey equipment. The present invention discloses a protective barrier integratable into a traditional hockey sock that covers the exposed calf and Achilles tendon, shielding the area from skate blade lacerations and blunt force injuries. While protecting the back of the lower leg, the protective article of clothing allows the player to maintain uninhibited mobility when worn. Additionally, the protective article of clothing works in conjunction with existing shin pads allowing the entire lower leg to be protected from skate and hockey stick blade injuries.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed invention. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof, comprises a protective article of clothing for covering the lower leg of an ice hockey player from essentially a knee to a heel. The protective article of clothing comprises a sock element configured to fit over and encapsulate a traditional shin guard used by a hockey player, and a protective barrier element highly resistant to penetrating and blunt force injuries that is integrated into a back of the sock element. Additionally, the protective article of clothing may further comprise a variety of designs that match hockey team colors and logos.

Furthermore in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the protective article of clothing maintains flexibility so that the ice hockey player's mobility remains unimpeded while skating. The sock element holds the shin guard in place to protect a front of the skater's lower leg, and the protective barrier element provides flexible protection from lacerations and blunt force trauma to a previously unprotected back of the lower leg. Additionally, the protective barrier element comprises a cut resistant portion integrated with an impact absorbing portion that substantially covers an Achilles tendon, a calf muscle.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be practiced and all aspects and equivalents thereof are intended to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a protective article of clothing for protecting a lower leg of an ice hockey player in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear perspective view of the protective article of clothing in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side perspective view of the protective article of clothing in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the novel embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. The intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter.

Referring initially to the drawings, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a protective article of clothing 100 for covering the lower leg of an ice skater. Traditional ice hockey socks typically fit over a lower leg and a shin guard designed to protect a front of the lower leg. The traditional ice hockey socks are generally elasticized garments that extend from a heel to above a knee with a foot remaining un-encapsulated by the hockey sock. While the shin guard is held in place by the ice hockey sock, a back of the lower leg is left virtually unprotected from injury as the sock is typically manufactured from a stretchable, but easily penetrated material such as cotton or polyester.

The protective article of clothing 100 comprises a sock element 102 and a protective barrier element 116. The sock element 102 is typically an elasticized ice hockey sock comprising a front portion 104 and a back portion 106. The protective barrier element 116 is integrated, implanted, sandwiched within, or otherwise attached to the back portion 106 of the sock element 102. The sock element 102 substantially encapsulates the lower leg of an ice hockey player from the heel to at least the knee or above the knee.

The sock element 102 is typically manufactured of a stretchable natural or synthetic material suck as cotton, nylon, polyester, and the like, or of any other material or combination thereof known to one of skill in the art. Additionally, the sock element 102 is configured to fit over a shin guard that may be worn on the lower leg of the player. The sock element 102 further comprises an inside 108, an outside 110, a base 112, and a top 114. The base 112 comprises an opening for sliding the foot through and generally fits into a hockey skate boot (not shown).

The protective barrier element 116 is configured to protect an Achilles tendon and a calf of the user from both blunt force and penetrating impacts which can cause fractures, lacerations, abrasions, bruises and the like. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the protective barrier element 116 comprises a top portion 118 and a bottom portion 120. The protective barrier element 116 may be generally trapezoidal in shape approximately between 8 and 15 inches in height and tapering approximately between six and two inches in width, so as to extend approximately from between zero to two inches above the base 112 to approximately within one to six inches from the top 114 of the sock element 102. Preferably, the top portion 118 of the protective barrier element 116 will terminate approximately between one to two inches below a crease of a knee of the user. However, the shape of the protective barrier element 116 may be ovoid, conical, rectangular, or irregularly shaped as well. For example, the protective barrier element 116 further comprises a first side 122 and a second side 124. The first side 122 and the second side 124 may extend further outward laterally at any point along either side 122 and 124, for better protecting the calf. In a preferred embodiment, the protective barrier element 116 is generally tapered so as to be wider at the top 118 than at the bottom 120. This is desirable as it provides more protection to the calf which is anatomically wider than the Achilles tendon area of the lower leg. Furthermore, the first side 122 and the second side 124 may extend far enough so as to at least partially overlap or under lap the shin guard affording complete circumferential protection to the lower leg.

The protective barrier element 116 is generally flexible and further comprises a cut resistant portion 126 and an impact absorbing portion 128. The cut resistant portion 126 is typically a flexible protective material that is cut and/or laceration resistant. This is desirable as it does not need to be custom fit or pre-molded to the user as required when using a more rigid material. Other protective equipment utilizing rigid materials that are laceration resistant such as shin guards will not protect the back of a leg while still allowing the user to flex their ankles or knees preventing the user from being able to skate effectively. The protective barrier element 116 is generally constructed of a high tensile polymer or other synthetic flexible cut-resistant fabric, such as but not limited to aramid fiber fabric, Kevlar®, thermoplastic polyethylene fiber, polypropylene fiber, high-density microfiber, polyester fiber, composite materials, and the like, as is known in the art without affecting the overall scope of the invention. Additionally, the protective barrier element 116 may comprise either a single layer of material or multiple layers of material and is approximately between 1/32 and ¼ inches in thickness.

The impact absorbing portion 128 is typically a closed cell foam, such as but not limited to extruded polyethylene closed cell foam, and the like. This is desirable as these materials are generally impermeable to water, moisture, sweat, and the like. The preferred foam will have a density of approximately between 1.7 and 2.2 pounds per cubic foot. This provides adequate impact protection while still affording adequate flexibility for the player. The impact absorbing portion 128 is typically bonded to the cut resistant portion 126 thermally, chemically, or mechanically so that the protective barrier element 116 functions as an integrated single unit.

The impact absorbing portion 128 comprises a plurality of cushions 130. The plurality of cushions 130 comprises one top cushion 132 and three pairs of lower cushions 134. The plurality of cushions 130 are generally V-shaped to deflect impact forces downward and away from vulnerable anatomical structures. Additionally, the three pairs of lower cushions 134 may be additionally shaped similarly to chevrons with a gap in the center of each chevron or to a set of six abdominal muscles comparable to the rectus abdominals. These shapes allow the impact forces to be deflected downward while protecting against a straight line impact such as from a strike caused by a skate blade or a hockey stick. Furthermore, the gaps between each of three pairs of lower cushions 134 permit the protective barrier element 116 to remain flexible enough to permit skating while still providing adequate impact protection.

The protective barrier element 116 is attachable to or otherwise integratable with the back portion 106 of the sock element 102. The protective barrier element 116 may be stitched into or onto the back portion 106 of the sock element 102 on the inside 108 or the outside 110. The protective barrier element 116 may be also attached by adhesive, radio frequency welding, hot glue pressing, and the like, or by any other method as is known in the art may be used without affecting the overall scope of the invention. Furthermore, the protective barrier element 116 may be used as an insert so that it is removably or non-removably sandwiched within a pocket (not shown) created in the back portion 106 of the sock element 102 so that the protective barrier element 116 is substantially encapsulated within the back portion 106 of the sock element 102.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventor intends for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective article of clothing for protecting a calf and an Achilles tendon of a user from blunt force and penetrating injuries, the protective article of clothing comprising: a sock element configured to encapsulate a lower leg from a heel to at least a knee and to fit over a shin guard worn on the lower leg, wherein the sock element comprises a front portion and a back portion; and a protective barrier element comprising a cut resistant portion and an impact absorbing portion, wherein the protective barrier element is implanted in the back portion of the sock element.
 2. The protective sock of claim 1, wherein the cut resistant portion of the protective barrier element is a flexible cut-resistant fabric.
 3. The protective sock of claim 2, wherein the flexible cut-resistant fabric comprises at least one of the following materials: aramid fiber, thermoplastic polyethylene fiber, polypropylene fiber, high-density microfiber, or polyester fiber.
 4. The protective sock of claim 3, wherein the impact absorbing portion is a closed cell foam.
 5. The protective sock of claim 4, wherein the impact absorbing portion is thermally bonded to the cut resistant portion.
 6. A protective hockey sock for protecting a calf and an Achilles tendon of an ice hockey player from blunt force and penetrating injuries, the protective article of clothing comprising: a sock element configured to encapsulate a lower leg from a heel to above a knee and to fit over a shin guard worn on the lower leg, wherein the sock element comprises a front portion, a back portion, an inside, an outside, a base, and a top; and a protective barrier element comprising a cut resistant portion and an impact absorbing portion, wherein the cut resistant portion is a high tensile polymer, the impact absorbing portion is a closed cell foam, and the protective barrier element is attached to the back portion of the sock element.
 7. The protective article of clothing of claim 6, wherein the protective barrier element is sandwiched within the back portion of the sock element.
 8. The protective article of clothing of claim 7, wherein the closed cell foam is an extruded polyethylene foam.
 9. The protective article of clothing of claim 8, wherein the extruded polyethylene foam is bonded to the high tensile polymer.
 10. The protective article of clothing of claim 9, wherein the extruded polyethylene foam has a density of approximately between 1.7 and 2.2 pounds per cubic foot.
 11. The protective article of clothing of claim 10, wherein the impact absorbing portion comprises a plurality of cushions.
 12. The protective article of clothing of claim 11, wherein the plurality of cushions comprise one top cushion and three pairs of lower cushions.
 13. The protective article of clothing of claim 12, wherein the protective barrier element extends from the base of the sock element to approximately between one and two inches below a crease of the knee.
 14. A protective sock for protecting a calf and an Achilles tendon of an ice hockey player from blunt force and penetrating injuries, the protective sock comprising: a sock element configured to encapsulate a lower leg from a heel to a knee and to fit over a shin guard worn on the lower leg, wherein the sock element comprises a front portion, a back portion, an inside, an outside, a base, and a top; and a flexible protective barrier element comprising a cut resistant portion, an impact absorbing portion, a top portion, and a bottom portion, wherein the cut resistant portion is an aramid fiber fabric, the impact absorbing portion is an extruded polyethylene closed cell foam, and the flexible protective barrier element is integrated within back portion of the sock element.
 15. The protective sock of claim 14, wherein the cut resistant portion of the flexible protective barrier element comprises multiple layers of the aramid fiber fabric.
 16. The protective sock of claim 14, wherein the flexible protective barrier element extends laterally toward the front portion of the sock element so as to at least partially overlap the shin guard.
 17. The protective sock of claim 16, wherein the impact absorbing portion comprises a plurality of cushions.
 18. The protective sock of claim 16, wherein the plurality of cushions comprise one top cushion and three pairs of lower cushions.
 19. The protective sock of claim 18, wherein the each pair of lower cushions generally substantially form a chevron in shape with a gap in a center of the chevron.
 20. The protective sock of claim 18, wherein the three pairs of lower cushions are substantially shaped as a set of six abdominal muscles. 